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Police: No link among alleged child-abduction attempts

One Loveland case is cleared, several more have exhausted leads

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
05/24/2013 10:14:57 AM MDT

LOVELAND -- A Tuesday incident where a man attempted to pick up a 13-year-old girl has been ruled harmless, though several other similar cases in Loveland -- including one that took place the same day -- remain open.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office issued a news release Tuesday about a 13-year-old girl who reported that a man she did not know asked her if she needed a ride. The girl immediately ran into Carrie Martin Elementary School and reported the incident.

After receiving information from the public, sheriff's office spokesman John Schulz said Thursday that investigators were able to identify the man as a nearby neighbor who thought he was being helpful. No charges were filed and investigators do not believe that children in the area were in any danger.

"We take all of these reports very seriously," Schulz said. "We err on the side of caution and make sure if there is someone attempting to bother children, we try to identify them as quickly as possible."

Prior to Thursday, Loveland police Sgt. Scott Highland said that if he'd been asked if that incident was related to a suspicious circumstances case under investigation by Loveland police, he wouldn't have been able to say no.

Late Tuesday, a 9-year-old Loveland girl reported that a suspicious male pulled up to her in a vehicle and asked if she wanted a ride home. The problem was that, near Scenic Drive in west Loveland, the girl was already in front of her house.

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No release on the incident was issued; Highland said that detectives have been working to verify the information provided and that the case remains under investigation.

"We will be releasing a composite drawing that matches a person of interest," he said.

The incidents reported this week make four cases of similar circumstances investigated in Loveland this year. In each case, a girl has reported being approached by a man or men in a vehicle who attempted to pick her up. Highland admitted that the number of cases is somewhat unusual for Loveland.

"I think based on the stuff that's been going on -- the Jessica Ridgeway case -- there's a heightened sense of awareness, and that's a good thing," he said.

The first was in January, when two men in a red van reportedly pulled up next to a fifth grade Monroe Elementary School student between Washington Avenue and Monroe Avenue. The back door opened and one of the men told her to get in, the girl told police.

On May 6, a 12-year-old girl was biking home from Lucile Erwin Middle School when, in the area of 43rd Street and Georgetown Drive, a blue delivery-style van slowed down next to her. She told police that the two men in the van told her to get inside.

In both of those cases, Highland said that multiple people were interviewed but that leads were exhausted. Based on descriptions of the suspects provided by the girls involved, Highland does not believe the cases are related. Possible attempted kidnappings investigated this year by Longmont police are also thought to be unrelated.

"There's no similarities in any of our cases," Highland said.

But in each case, including the false alarm outside of Carrie Martin this week, police say the girls did exactly what they were supposed to do.

"Anytime that a child feels like he or she is approached by someone they don't know or don't recognize, they should immediately run away and try to find somebody to help them," Schulz said.

For the cases that are reported near Loveland schools, Thompson School District spokesman Mike Hausmann said the district works closely with police to alert students and parents of the reported incidents.

"Every single time something like that has been voiced, it's been taken very seriously," Hausmann said. "This offers an opportunity for not just teachers and administrators to address it, but it's also a good opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about safety."

Schulz said that parents should discuss abduction scenarios with their children and review regularly what they should do in case they're approached, stressing to never get close to a vehicle unless they know the person.

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